Media content analysts seldom observe the principle that editorial omissions are as telling as what is published or broadcast; hence, the purpose of this paper is to explore, and thus stimulate debate about, editorial omissions or "strategic silence." It is observed that as a concept, strategic silence embraces both tact and strategy--the former being an institution process that produces images and symbols appropriate to the larger process whereby journal and readers make sense of the world. It is further observed that although the resulting version of reality may be regarded as the end product of a conspiracy of silence, it should be understood as the production of meanings based not only upon manifest content but also upon ways in which some things are either not seen or not recorded because of the social transaction between readers and producers of editorial matter. Next, the paper explores the discordance between historical and social science methods in terms of its implications for the search for strategic silence, which should be conducted in accord with tested historical principles of avoiding presentism and collating evidence. Finally, the paper offers illustrations of strategic silence drawn from a study of the symbolic portraits of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that were sketched by "Time,""Newsweek," and "U.S. News & World Report" magazines. (HTH)

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